Don't Let Your Guard Down
by enragedpurple
Summary: A small Gaara X OC love story. Not really a oneshot, but I guess you could call it that. Just some fluff.


_**Author's Note: I know basically nothing about Naruto Shippuden! Any story inconsistencies there are, take it easy on me. I only did this for my pure entertainment because I love Gaara. So, if you don't like the fact that there is an OC in this, then I would suggest you turn back now.**_

_**Thanks! ^^  
**_

"Naruto!" I whined out his name as I rushed after him. He laughed, kicking at me when I tackled him to the ground. I managed to get the ball out of his hands, only to have him squirm away and grab it again. I yipped a short yelp, rushing after him again.

The day in the leaf village was silent and sunny. There was not a disturbance to be seen, and for once all of the grown-ups seemed to be calm and relaxed. To a five-year old kid, that was as good as it was going to get. So, playing ball with my brother seemed to be the only way to keep him from becoming eternally bored.

"Tasha! Get back here!" He laughed, pushing me down again, this time into a crowd of surrounding children. We laugh, letting them join in on the game. Soon, I was running for my life again, this time from a whole crowd of small children. I laughed as some kid named Shikamaru tackled me to the ground, letting the other kids get a hold of the ball. Somehow, it landed on a roof.

"Aww, wait to go Naruto," Someone chimed in, giving him a disrespectful look. Before he could slink away into his shell, I came up and whacked the boy on the back of the head.

"It wasn't his fault!" I shouted in a small voice, walking to my brother's side and linking arms with him. He shot me a wide grin, his blue eyes dancing. I ruffled his hair, then looking back to the roof. There wasn't really a way for us to get the ball down without going to an adult…

"Hey! Look! That weirdo's movin' the sand!" The same kid shouted with a point of his chubby fingers. All head quickly snapped in the direction of a small red head, gourd strapped to his back, bending the sand towards the ball.

"Ah! He's a monster!" Someone else shouted as a small sand hand managed to grab hold of the ball. I watched with interested eyes as a fleeing crowd of children pulled Naruto away. They all ran way, shouting comments about monsters and scary hands. The red headed boy dropped his eyes with a distant look of sorrow, the ball falling to the ground uselessly.

"Hey, thanks for our ball!" I shouted, running closer and grabbing the ball with eager hands. I walked up to him, all smiles as I stuck out my small hand for a shake. He eyed me suspiciously, his green eyes wavering.

"Aren't you terrified of me?" He asked in a barely audible voice. His eyes screamed "feel sorry for me" but his tone said "go away now and save yourself the trouble."

"Why should I be?" I smiled, leaning closer and snatching his hand with my own. I beamed up at him, my own blue eyes gleaming with happiness and interest.

"Y-You saw what I did, didn't you?" He asked, his voice still weak and shy. I was just surprised he didn't yank his hand away from mine.

"Yeah, and? It's called being a ninja, silly," I smiled to him even wider, then handing him the ball. He took his hand out of mine and handled the small plastic toy carefully.

"What's this for?" He whispered, a small hint of blush finding his cheeks. I laughed, linking our arms as I prepared to lead him back to Naruto's and my house.

"Friends give each other gifts, silly," I smiled, pulling him closer as I started to skip back home.

* * *

I rolled out of bed, internally hating myself for agreeing to such an early meeting. Five in the morning was way too soon to be up and about. But, alas, to be a ninja one must make sacrifices. So, I rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the shower.

Half an hour later, I noticed the water was finally getting cold. Slipping out, I ran a brush through my waist length blonde hair. I parted it to the right, then sliding my leaf-ninja headband on. I leaned closer to the mirror, applying my thick layer of eyeliner and a fine dusting of black eye shadow.

"Naruto! Where'd you put the laundry?" I shouted, standing in the middle of my room with simply a towel wrapped around me. I shook my head as I stomped down the hall and into his room. "Naruto!" I smacked a hand on his back, almost laughing when he woke up to see me towering over him. He jumped and nearly hit his head against the wall.

"T-Tasha? What are you doing in my room like that?" He rubbed his eyes, doing a double take.

"I swear, sometimes I hate having you as a brother. Where did you put the laundry?" I asked again, tapping my foot impatiently. He eyed me for a second, then pointed blearily down the hall towards the living room. I stormed out, shutting the door behind me.

I got to the living room, then scrounging around in the unfolded pile for my clothes. Finally I came across my black and orange pants as well as my black tube top. I walked back to my room and got dressed, cursing Naruto's organization skills silently in my mind.

As soon as I pulled my low-rise pants on, I slipped a pair of black boots on over them and headed out the door. Before I could leave, Naruto stopped me by the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked, rubbing his blue eyes blearily. I smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Go back to sleep Naruto. You obviously aren't awake yet," I smiled, grabbing my keys to the shared apartment and walking out the door with a wave to my half asleep younger brother.

As I walked down the streets of the Leaf Village, I felt a smile creep across my face. Today was going to be a good day, assuming the meeting went all right. I knew that Lady Tsunade was counting on me – no pressure or anything. However, I also knew that it would be fun to see what lay in the Sand village after all these years.

My one and only encounter with a Sand Villager had been when a younger Gaara had gotten our ball back for us. He'd been in the village for a few weeks, but other than that I hadn't seen him in years. He had supposedly taken the exams with my brother, but a year difference tended to keep me away from the younger ninja.

Now I was walking purposefully through the Leaf Highway and making my way towards that village. I wondered what this Kazekage would be like or if he would just be another pain in the ass to deal with. Some of the people I had to meet… well, they usually weren't nice.

"T-Tasha? Is-Is that you?" A stuttering voice had me turning around, my eyes landing on Hinata. I laughed, waving to her with a giant grin on my face.

"Hey Hinata! What are you doing out here?" I laughed as she jogged to meet up with me, then pulling her into a hug. She giggled, hugging back with a small smile on her lips.

"Well, I was just looking around for something for Sakura, but I haven't had any luck. Where are you going?" Her pale eyes met mine, her normal shy demeanor showing through.

"I'm on some mission in the Sand Village. Why don't you tag along?" I linked arms with her, not waiting to hear her answer. A small giggle escaped her lips as she fell into step with me.

For the rest of the walk, we talked about everything. She was still too shy to talk to Naruto, so I was trying to help her with that. I loved Hinata to bits, and seeing her with my brother would just make me happy. Both of them need to learn how to express themselves.

"Well, here we are," I laughed, letting her go as we split ways. I walked around the village, eventually having to admit to myself that I was hopelessly lost. I stopped by a nearby shop to ask for directions. Deciding that a red-headed kid looked the friendliest to ask, I tapped him on the shoulder first.

"Um, excuse me, but could you tell me where to find the Kazekage's mansion?" He turned around, and I could feel my jaw hit the ground. His eyes widened as well, light green orbs filling with shock.

"Tasha Uzumaki?" He asked, a deep voice shocking my ears. I laughed, nodding as a smile spread across my face.

"Hey! You're that Gaara kid from way back when!" I laughed and pulled him into a hug. I could feel him stiffen, but nevertheless, his arms wrapped around me.

"What are you doing here, Tasha?" He pulled away and eyed me curiously. I was still smiling, trying to wrap my mind around the coincidence of meeting him here.

"Well, I was trying to find the Kazekage, but then I got all turned around and the next thing I knew, I was here… somehow," I blushed sheepishly, my eyes falling to the ground, "My sense of direction isn't the best," I laughed.

"I see. I can't help you with the direction thing, but you are free to start talking," His voice had changed from the same stuttering child I had met years ago to a mature adult who was looking to conduct business. I looked at him, blinking in confusion.

"What do ya mean? The Kazekage isn't here, is he.. er, she, I really have no idea who they are," I ran a hand through my hair shyly, still trying to puzzle through his words. To my surprise, and apparently all the men around him, Gaara let out a low chuckle.

"_I'm_ the Kazekage," He said in a light tone, his eyes dancing. I looked at him in shock, then realizing that at least three people around him were bodyguards. I immediately tried to recompose myself, but the shock never left my eyes.

"Y-You? I mean, well that's great, but… wow," I managed, running a hand through my hair. He chuckled again, getting a sideways glance from one of his men. He motioned for me to follow him out to the streets, falling into step as everyone cleared the way for us.

"I take it your Hokage was very vague on the details?" He asked, his voice back to its normal rumble. I nodded, looking around us as I answered.

"Yes, all she said was that I was to report to the Kazekage for a mission briefing," I replied, the displeasure in my voice apparently evident. Gaara nodded as well, looking as if he was contemplating something. I found myself watching him with interest, and in turn his men were watching me. I tried not to show the fact that I was creeped out.

"Hmm," He hummed, then stopping mid-step. He turned to look at me as I came to a clumsy halt, his eyes dancing again. "I need your help in a fight," He stated, his hands grabbing both of my upper arms. I looked into his eyes with a shred of shock, but then I was serious once more.

"Sure, who are we fighting?" I asked, the adrenaline already pumping through my body. I smiled wider, my blue eyes dancing with determination. Gaara nodded, then letting go of my arms.

"Each other," He stated, not waiting for me to gather my wits. He attacked with a wave of sand, sending me crashing into a nearby cart.

"Whoa! Gaara! Shouldn't we do this where no one else can get hurt!?" I shouted as I regained my balance and started to dodge his attacks with ease. He simply eyed me skeptically before gesturing with one hand to the people around us. They had already formed a circle and were watching eagerly. I could also swear that in the background someone was chanting Gaara's name.

"You do this regularly, then?" I shouted as I lunged forward with an attack. I let Rasengan boil in my hand, dodging his guard as I slammed it into his chest. He flew into the nearest building, the crowd ducking at exactly the right time.

"You could say that," He groaned as he stood up again. His sand came back into his hands and I could tell he was planning something else. I quickly threw up my guard, barely avoiding being crushed by a sand-hand.

"Is this the mission?" I growled, dodging another hand as I flipped over backwards, landing gracefully on my feet. He nodded, sending a barrier my way. I gasped, hurdling it as it came close enough and landing right at his feet with my chakra already charging. I started a series of attacks on him, Shadow Clones appearing left and right, and ended with another Rasengan straight to his middle.

This time he crashed through the building, sand bricks piling on top of him. At first I was concerned, but then remembered to never let my guard down. I gasped as something grabbed my leg, lifting me upside down and dangling me in mid-air.

"Gaara!" I shouted in a "this is unfair!" tone of voice. He had a smirk on his face as he crawled out of the rubble, looking to me with a slight happiness in his eyes.

"Never let your guard down," He mocked, walking closer. I crossed my arms over my chest, arching my eyebrow.

"But you're going to let me down, right?" My eyes canned the crowd as they all cheered and then started to walk away. Apparently, they didn't care what happened to his opponents. I huffed as my lower lip formed a pout.

"Why should I?" He teased, coming mere inches away from me. I rolled my eyes once again, reaching out to grab either side of his face.

"If one more drop of blood goes to my head, so help me, Gaara –" I yelped as I was suddenly falling, even more surprised when I didn't hit the ground. Instead, I ended up in his arms, looking up to him as he smirked smugly.

"Never let your guard down," He stated lowly, his voice rumbling in his chest. I huffed, kicking my legs over his arm as I stood up.

"Sometimes I wonder what goes through your head," I muttered, getting a skeptical look out of him.

"Hey, Gaara! Who's the chic?" Another Sand Villager came running closer, purple makeup the only thing distinguishable other then his all black-adorned body.

"Chic?" I growled, putting my hands on my hips.

"Kankuro," Gaara stated at the same moment in a disapproving voice. Before either of us knew what happened, "Kankuro" had his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

"All right, I will give you three seconds to have your arm removed from my body," I grumbled, my eyes shooting daggers his way.

"Three," Gaara growled, to both our surprise.

"Aww, bro, why ya gotta be so uptight –"

"Two," Both Gaara and I stated this number together, our voices ringing together murderously.

"Okay, okay," He stated, removing his arm from my shoulders. I ground my teeth together, whirling to face him as I gave a hearty smack to his arm.

"Ow!"

"Next time you touch me will probably be your last," I growled with glaring blue eyes. Kankuro slunk away from me, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Right, right, so you're not the flirting type. What's your name?" He asked, sticking his hand out for me to shake. I eyed him carefully, then deciding to be nice and shake hands.

"Tasha Uzumaki," I declared, watching with entertainment as his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"Wait, you mean you're related to Naruto? You're the sister he was always bragging about?" His voice was incredulous as he eyed me with shocked eyes and a jaw that was hitting the floor.

"Oh, really, he bragged about me, did he? Now I have something to blackmail him with," I smiled to myself, pulling my hand away as I turned back to Gaara.

"Well, Mister Kazekage, now that that's done, you can expect me to visit a lot more often," I smiled, shocked when he pulled me into a tender hug. I could hear Kankuro stuttering something in the corner, his shock enough to tell me that Gaara did not usually hug people.

"I would enjoy that, Tasha," He stated, his voice sending chills down my spine.

"R-Right, well I'm off to find Hinata," I pulled out of the hug, waving to them both over my shoulder.

* * *

Rumor had it that Gaara had been captured by the Akatsuki. Rumor also had it that my brother was out on a mission to get him back. A mission that could get him killed. Rumor also said that I was at home doing laundry while bodyguards were stationed outside to make sure I didn't go anywhere.

Reality said that I was currently running like all hell was loose to catch up with my brother's group. I could hear them chatting up ahead, knowing then that I was close. So, I pushed myself a bit harder and ended up tearing around the corner in time to see Naruto crouching over Gaara.

"Naruto?" I shouted, all heads snapping my direction. I ran as fast as I could, coming to my brother's side and falling to my knees at the sight in front of me.

Gaara was unconscious as far as I could tell, but Naruto looked as if he could cry. I felt my own eyes start to water up, falling limply against Naruto as I wrapped my arms around him and he wrapped his around my waist.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, turning to face Kakashi. He started to explain, but then he made this mistake of saying something that totally set Naruto off.

Before I knew what was happening, he was shouting at everyone that they didn't understand. That they didn't know what it was like to have a beast trapped inside of them. He was shouting that no one would ever know what he and Gaara had gone through, that all they had was false sympathy. He was saying that Gaara had no one, not even his own family, to confide in.

I wanted to stand up and say that Gaara had confided in me. That Gaara had even been willing to smile around me. I wanted to stop Naruto from yelling at us all, I wanted to do so many things. But my legs were rooted to the ground as my hands were placed on Gaara's chest, tears falling slowly from my cheeks. I wanted to do something to bring him back… but all I could do was stare and listen to Naruto take out his anger.

Suddenly, an old woman nudged me aside, placing her hands where my own had just been. Naruto wiped the tears from his face, coming back to crouch beside Gaara's body again. I watched with interest as the old lady started a jutsu, my interest changing to horrible realization in the next second. Sakura gasped, moving forward as if she could stop the old lady.

"Lady Chiyo…" She stuttered, placing a hand on the ladies shoulder.

"I don't have enough chakra," She managed in a breathy whisper, and Naruto placed his hands over hers in the same second. I wanted so badly to rip his hands away, but a stronger emotion was making sure I let them do this.

Lady Chiyo fell back into Sakura's arms as Gaara took in a heavy gasp of air. Naruto pulled away with a giant smile on his face as I threw myself against Gaara's chest and the tears started again.

"T-Tasha? N-Naruto? What's going on?" He wrapped his arms around me as a natural response, but I pulled away to look tearfully into his eyes. Then, without saying a word, I looked over to Naruto.

"You are both idiots," I whispered, standing up so Naruto could have a moment with Gaara. I walked over to Kakashi's side, wiping the tears from my face.

"You like Gaara, don't you?" Kakashi stated in a light tone, obviously teasing me. I gasped, lurching away to stare at him in shock with a heavy blush covering my face.

"I-I do not!" I blubbered, making sure that Gaara hadn't heard us. Kakashi simply rolled his visible eye, nudging me with his elbow.

"You do so," He stated, walking away to check on Gaara and Naruto.

* * *

I'd made my way away from the group, finding a single sandy enclosure to lay down in. I needed to clear my head, but with all the racket of Gaara being alive, I just couldn't do that. It wasn't that I was not thrilled that Gaara was alive, but it was just the fact that Kakashi had gotten my mind spinning, and now I could hardly look at Gaara without blushing.

Did I really like Gaara? I mean, I knew that we were friends and I was basically the only person he would talk to and smile… but did that mean that we were something more then friends? Did it mean that he liked me back?

"Tasha?" Gaara's voice rang out, startling me into a sitting position. I spotted him coming around a curve, looking for me with curious mint-green eyes. _Those eyes that I always got lost in_.

"Over here, Gaara," I called, sticking my arm into the air so that he could spot me. He waved back, coming to sit by my side. He sat a lot closer then he would have normally, causing my blush to deepen.

"Listen, I've been doing a lot of thinking," He began, his voice almost sounding unsure. I twisted to face him, watching as he did the same. He reached up to my shoulder, gently rubbing some sand away, the action sending chills down my spine. "And I wanted you to know that I… _really_ like you," He stated, a small amount of blush finding his own cheeks.

At first I was unsure of how to react. I wanted to squeal with delight and glomp him, but another part of me was telling me to keep my cool. So, I settled for letting my jaw drop and my eyes widen.

"G-Gaara," I stuttered, looking to him with a lump in my throat.

"You're right, it was silly, I'll leave now," He started to stand, but I snatched his wrist quickly. I stood, cupping one side of his face with my free hand.

"I really like you, too," I smiled, my breath hitching in my chest as he leaned in to claim my lips with his own. I knotted my hand in his hair, the other getting intertwined with his hand. He pulled my closer by the waist, both of us completely losing ourselves in the kiss. Finally, I pulled away, gasping for breath.

"Thank you, Tasha," He whispered, kissing down my neck. I gasped, a small, breathy laugh escaping my lips. I moaned and pulled him closer, curling into him so that I could do the same to him.

"For what?" I whispered, smiling when he pulled away to look into my eyes.

"For everything," He replied, stealing my lips again. I moaned, wrapping both arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist. He pulled away, stroking my cheeks lovingly then as he simply stared into my eyes.

"How'd I get so lucky?" He whispered, pulling me into a hug as he buried his face into the nook of my neck. I giggled, enjoying the hug a lot more then I should have.

"I get asked that a lot," I teased, breaking free from the hug before he could retort. I laughed as he chased me in the sand, finally catching me with a sand arm around my waist. He twirled me around, pulling me back into his arms.

"You should never let your guard down," He whispered, getting a playful look from me.

"And what happens when I do?" I asked, pecking him on the lips. He smirked, crushing our hips together. I moaned, deepening the kiss without knowing it. He pulled away, his fingers caressing the exposed skin at my hips.

"I guess you'll just have to find out, won't you?" He teased, pulling me into a mind-blowing kiss again.


End file.
